Joint for heater coils



Aug. 8, 1933. Q A OLSON 1,921,259

JOINT FOR HEATER COILS Filed Feb. 14. 1931 Patented ug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES JGINT FR HEATER COILS Charles A. Glson, Geneva, Ill., assigne-1' to Crane Co., Chicago, lll., a

Application February lli, 193i.

1 Claim.

This invention pertains to an improved joint particularly suitable for hot Water heating coils disposed within a heating chamber although it will be manifest that the joint is suitable for other purposes.

Heretofore in extending the terminating ends of a heating coil disposed Within a heating casn ing through the casing it has been customary to provide the ends of the coil with a tting disposed within the casing which was threadedly conneeted to another member which extended through the casing from the exterior thereof which member was joined to the casing by a ground joint. This type of joint generally permitted Contact of the heating medium with the exposed threads of the exterior member which resulted in corrosion of the exposed threads and therefore curtailed further use of the tting. Furthermore, the ground joint was not adaptable to be used repeatedly or with other coils if for example it was desired to remove the coil for repair or replacement.

lt is the purpose or" this invention therefore to provide a joint which will permit of repeated use of the joint and thus provide for repair and replacement of the parts connected thereby.

In accordance with this invention the foregoing desired results are obtained by the provision of a connection which employs members joined by threaded pipe connections and a gasket therebetween, the gasket preferably being so positionedl as to seal any otherwise exposed threads from the action of the heating medium or the fluid within the coil. Furthermore, provision is made for the ready assembly of the connection by providing means for positioning the elements constituting the connection and for retaining the gasket in position.

Other novel features of this invention and their resultant advantages will be apparent from the following description given in connection with the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a water heater constructed in accordance with this invention with the cover removed.

Fig. 2 is a Vertical transverse section through approximately the center of a water heater shown in Fig. 1 and on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the gasket employed.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the gasket employed.

For purposes of illustration, this invention is shown as applied to a water heater of the type Cei-poration of Illinois Serial No. 515,73

embodying a shell or casing within which is disposed a coil through which the water to be heated flows, the shell being adapted to receive a heating medium such as hot water or steam from a heating boiler.

in the illustrated embodiment of this invention the heater comprises a shell or casing 1 having a removable top cover 2 and being tapped to provide an inlet 3 and an outlet Il for the heating medium. V ithin the casing is a helical coll 6 terminating at each end in a fitting 7 in the form of approximately a elbow. The ends of the coil may be soldered, brazed, welded or otherwise secured in any suitable manner to one end of the iittings r7. Each end of the coil is ext .ded through the casing in a similar manner by connection, therefore only one end will be des 1ibed in detail. The open end of fitting 7 instead of terminating in a circular bead as is customary with these iittings, terminates in a rectangular ilange 8 which provides a seating surface. The edges of the ange lie between and engage a pair of lugs 9 projecting inwardly from the inner surface or" the shell adjacent the opening il formed in a suitable boss 12 cast on the shell.

The interior surface of the casing is also provided with a rectangular shaped recess 13 surrounding the opening 1l and of substantially the same size as iiange 8 for purposes later to be described.

A nipple or bushing-like connecting member 14 having a shoulder 16 of greater diameter than the openings 11 threadedly engages the tting 7 to draw the iitting toward the interior wall of the casing. Disposed within the recess 13 is a rectangular gasket 17 preferably formed of some compressible leakproof gasket material 18 covered with a metallic casing 19.

In assembling a joint on the inside wall or casing of a vessel, there is considerable diiiiculty in properly placing the gasket without the inconvenience and subsequent danger due to dislodgement before being placed under compression. Provision for the accurate location of a gasket is particularly desirable in a joint of this type due to the relatively small bearing surface required as Weil as the small space in which to Work. For this reason the metallic covering upon one side is preferably extended beyond the general con- 105 tour of the gasket to provide a slight feather edge 19a to engage the side Walls of recess 13 to retain the gasket within the recess during assembly of the shell and the coil.

t follows from the above 'that when connectllo ing member 14 is screwed into tting 7, rotation of tting 7 will be prevented by lugs 9 and the seating surface of flange S of tting 7 will be drawn toward the casing and will engage one face of gasket 17 whieh will be compressed tightly between the inner surface of recess 13V and ange 8. The threads being tapered pipe threads will seat tightly in fitting 7. In the event that it is desired to remove coil 6 it is only necessary to remove cover 2, unscrew members 14 and raise the coil from the shell.

It follows from the foregoing description that by the use of a square gasket and the provision of a squared ange and rectangular recess in combination with the tapered threads and compressible gasket a connection is provided which permits of ready assembly and disassembly of the joint while providing a tight joint. It can also be appreciated that the joint may be broken and remade many times with either the same elements or new elements.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the details of construction Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the claim appended hereto.

I claim:

In a hot water heater, a casing, a heating coil therein, said coil terminating in a fitting having a threaded opening thereinto surrounded by a seating rim, said casing having an opening therethrough in alignment with said tting, the inner surface of said casing being recessed surrounding said opening, a connecting member extending through said casing from the exterior thereof and threadedly engaging said tting, said member having a shoulder engaging the exterior of said casing, and a gasket seated in said recess between said seating rim and the interior surface of said casing, said gasket having projecting edges engaging the walls of said recess to .retain the gasket against displacement from said recess during insertion of said member.

CHARLES A. OLSON. 

